Customer Reviews

Back From The Brink... Built To Brilliance

by
zast29

As a disclaimer, I normally do not write reviews on iTunes, but I feel obligated to write a quick one for this often overlooked, underrated record.
What makes this particular Depeche Mode album stand out is that it rides a complete journey, from the bleak rocker "Barrel of a Gun", to the dark melodic pathos of "Sister of Night", to the redemption of "Insight". This was Depeche Mode's first record since the departure of primary musician Alan Wilder... in his place, the band brought in a host of guest musicians, who added their own flavor to great effect. Without recounting all the drama surrounding Dave's brush with death during the making of this record (some tracks recorded before, some after the episode in question), the great experiment succedes brilliantly, with all its genuine pain, anguish, surrender to darkness, and eventual rebirth. For all its magnificence, this album will forever live in the shadow of the epic "Violator", and of many Depeche Mode albums released both before and after. For many fans, this album is remarkable just because of the fact that it nearly never came to be... but to all those who have marked the record as such and moved on, I say listen again. This album is a dark, hidden jewel, and by my estimation, a Depeche Mode masterpiece.
It should also be noted that 2 of the extra tracks included on this version are excellent as well: The single "Only When I Lose Myself" was recorded for the band's 1998 "Singles '86 - '98" (the 2nd of their 3 existing "Greatest Hits" Compilations), and long with "Surrender" stand among the best tracks in the Depeche Mode canon.

Amazing all around

by
dj stomphead

If you love electronic music and/or you make electronic music, then this your Pet Sounds, your Sgt. Pepper. This album has such amazing production, it will blow you away. When Alan Wilder left, I was very skeptic of the outcome but DM really employed the right people for this one. They sound refreshed and so confident on this one. Own it.

Ultra - Depeche Mode

by
gmunny

zast29 said it all. I have been listening to this album repeatedly since it's release and each piece is timeless music art. Violator was a fantastic album but Ultra was in my mind superior to any other DM album and it's a shame it is in the shadows. Ultra is one of those few albums released where every song is a gem. Don't overlook it

Biography

Formed: 1980 in Basildon, Essex, England

Genre: Pop

Years Active: '80s, '90s, '00s, '10s

Originally a product of Britain's new romantic movement, Depeche Mode went on to become the quintessential electropop band of the 1980s. One of the first acts to establish a musical identity based completely around the use of synthesizers, they began their existence as a bouncy dance-pop outfit but gradually developed a darker, more dramatic sound that ultimately positioned them as one of the most successful alternative bands of their era. The roots of Depeche Mode date to 1976, when Basildon, England-based...